Page 24

Tapping my toe, I checked my watch for the twentieth time. She was late.

By almost an hour.

I hated when people were late. Even worse when they didn’t even bother to send a message or call. It was inconsiderate and self-centered.

At work, I usually gave a twenty-minute window before moving on with my day, requiring them to reschedule the meeting. With friends, the window was half that.

Yet there I was, waiting for her. And, more surprisingly, I wasn’t irritated.

I was worried.

There was a lot that could happen in the city. Especially with her taking the subway everywhere.

My jaw clenched.

As much as I wanted to play it off thatallmy concern was for her safety, that wasn’t true.

It’d occurred to me after about a half hour that she may have been standing me up. Which, if that was the case, it was cute she thought I’d give her up that easily.

Between the early morning kiss and having Ben drop off new clothes to her, I knew I was coming on a little… strong.

Not that I’d do anything differently, but I was aware of it.

I tried calling her a second time, but like before, it went straight to voicemail.

A few more minutes passed before I turned toward my car. I was already thinking of ways to explain how I knew her address when I looked up and saw her round the corner.

Staring down at her phone, Dahlia tucked her hair behind her ear. She was walking quickly, and the closer she got, the easier it was to see the tension on her face. Her cheeks were red, and her hoodie was undone, as if she’d been on an evening jog.

She glanced up for a moment before doing a double take when her eyes landed on me. Her full, fuckable lips curved into the sexiest grin I’d ever seen.

My cock hardened instantly, jerking with a need to have those lips wrapped around it.

My brain, however, was busy trying to memorize the expression on her face. She was happy to see me, and she didn’t try to hide the fact.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” she huffed as soon as she was within speaking distance. “I was early but the train was late. And then it was stopped because there was something on the track. I tried texting, but my phone died before I could hit send. I don’t think it charged right. I had to get off three exits—”

My mouth took hers, cutting off her words. I couldn’t say it didn’t make me happy to hear she hadn’t just been flakey about the timing. But the important thing was she was there, and she obviously wasn’tattemptingto end things before they had a chance to begin.

I deepened the kiss, the taste of her and sweet mints making me lose my head. Gripping her ass, I pulled her tight to me. If her gasp was any indication, her body was pressed close enough for her to feel the thick length of my cock. Using my hold on her ass, I lifted her slightly in a vain attempt to get closer still. The only way that would happen would be if we were naked with my dick deep inside her.

Cazzo.

A horn blared suddenly, making Dahlia jump back. Her eyes were wide, her already full lips swollen. She tucked her hair behind her ear, the piece falling right back into place. “Startled me,” she whispered.

“The kiss or the horn?”

“Both.”

As much as I wanted to take her home, or at least to my SUV since that was the furthest I thought I could make it, I released my hold on her and moved away. “You ready to eat?”

She pushed the length of her hair over her shoulder before tucking the front of her white tee back into her dark jeans. Unless she had very similar clothes, she was wearing both the hoodie and the shoes I sent. “Will they still have a table? I’m really sorry again.”

“It’s all set.” I reached for her hand, holding it as we walked toward the restaurant.

“Sharing some of your Italian heritage?” Dahlia asked as the unmistakable scent of garlic and tomatoes wafted out onto the street.

“How did you know I was Italiano?”